The Tenchi gang doesn't belong to me.
A Shoulder to Cry On"So how long do you think we'll be here?" Ryoko asked as she forced her way through a thicket with the pup tagging along behind her and turned to see the young beast shrugging it's shoulders.
"Tsunami doesn't like to tell you the details either, huh?" Ryoko snorted dryly as she continued her work of making a path. She then stopped and stood up with a wrinkle in her brow and looked down at the pup with a curious smirk.
"How come I'm doing all the work?" she asked curiously. She couldn't help but smile, however, seeing the pup slightly tilted it's head with an innocently curious look. Ryoko chuckled in spite of herself and shook her head before kneeling in front of the pup to stare at it on a more level plane.
"There's something about you. I don't know what it is, but it seems to get the better of me every time," Ryoko said. Ryoko rose to her feet before attacking the brush with no real purpose behind her efforts, seeing she had no idea where they were or how they were going to get out of here. She never thought that she would find herself in a place where her powers were deemed useless because of nature, but Tsunami had managed to find one. The brush was way too dense for her to fly through and the humid, muggy air was good cause not to use her energy sword to cut the brush. She was quite surprised with herself, however, considering she was working off of instincts she never knew she had and found that this wasn't as hard as it may have seemed.
"So your dad told you stories about me, huh?" Ryoko asked as she pulled a few branches out of the way and speaking just to keep her mind occupied. She stood up and turned around to see the pup staring into the trees with a confused, yet alarmed look on her human features so Ryoko took the liberty of looking in the direction the pup was staring, but failed to see or sense anything that would alarm the Clav. The pup then looked over at her before letting out a huff and forcing her way through the underbrush that Ryoko had been hacking away at.
"Hey!" she shouted as she found it next to impossible to follow the pup without getting tangled in the brush. She let out a grunt as she pulled and ripped at the branches before letting out a growl when she failed to close the distance between her and the Clav that was getting further and further away.
"Come back! You don't know what's out…here," she shouted, but let her words fade to a whisper as she glanced around her. She could feel a fear rising in her yet it wasn't for herself, but for the pup. Granted it was a beast and was most likely capable of taking care of itself, but still. Ryoko couldn't help but fear for the Clav's safety and she couldn't figure out why she felt this way. She barely knew anything about this creature, yet she felt a strange feeling of attachment to the pup, despite their differences.
"Where are you?" Ryoko mumbled to herself as she continued to work her way through the brush after the pup. She then stopped as she heard a rumbling in the distance and waited for a moment before hearing a slight patter of rain on the leaves above her. She then slightly hunched her shoulders as she felt a few drops of cold rain hit her skin and let out a gasp as the rain picked up it's speed to evolve into an all out downpour that she only experienced half of due to the thick canopy above her. She let her senses return after a moment and smiled while lighting up her energy sword and plowing through the brush without the worry of starting fires. She let out a chuckle as she used her powers for the first time since arriving here and held her hand out to let a small orb of orange light appear in her palm. She let out a snort of amusement and threw it into a wall of vines and waited for the smoke and debris to die down before floating into the clearing that lay beyond the road block. She smiled to herself as the rain doused her in it's cool fury and didn't feel the almost stinging pain of the drops hitting her skin. She found herself grateful for the shower, considering how hot and downright humid it had been and stood contently in the center of the clearing.
"Where did you go?" she asked herself, as if it would bring the pup back like an echo and wrinkled her brow as a feeling of anger rose in her. How hard is it to keep an eye on someone who was here to help you? How could she have let the pup take off like that without at least knowing why?
"What am I? A babysitter?" Ryoko mumbled to herself.
I spy, with my little eye, something that begins with…R she heard someone giggle from the bushes to her left.
"Huh?" Ryoko gapped as she stared into the thicket but took a sharp breath as she saw…Putiko?
I spy…Ryoko!
"Wha…?" Ryoko breathed in bewilderment before rubbing her eyes and looking back to see the pup sitting in front of her with a grin on her face. She let her eyes roam the forest in thought and raised her eyebrows while closing her eyes as the memory came back to her.
Daddy said he use to play that with you all the time it said in an almost cryptic tone.
"I understood you. How?" she asked after a long hesitation.
Because of your worry for me. It brought out that much more of your memory without you even realizing it
"My worry for you…" Ryoko echoed as she lightly chewed the inside of her lip. The first, and only memory, so far, was still twiddling through her thoughts and her new understanding of this language was slightly alarming.
You know what you are, Ryoko. Call it instinct
***
The sunlight filtered through the window in bright rays that caused puddles of light on the floor. Tenchi lazily turned his head towards the lab and let out a sigh as he thought of what had happened last night at dinner. The more he thought of it, the more Washu's words made sense. He had believed that she was jealous of the concern they showed for Ryoko, but the way she had put it really smacked him in the face. Everyone did seem to make it sound as if it were her fault and he could kind of understand that things were really hard for her. Her life had been hard, just like Ryoko's. Ryoko had lived it, and she had watched it while helplessly trapped in a crystal. Tenchi then let out another sigh and stood up before running into Ayeka as she walked out of the kitchen.
"Hello, Lord Tenchi," she sang in a chirpy voice.
"Hello Ayeka. Have you seen Washu yet today? She wasn't at breakfast," he stated as he remembered the days events. He hadn't seen any indication that the scientist had left her lab yet today.
"No I haven't. I was just about to go see if everything was okay. I haven't seen her since dinner last night," the princess said as she looked towards the lab door with a slightly concerned look.
"She was really upset about what I said," Tenchi sighed as he stood with Ayeka in the doorway with his hands in his pockets.
"She was. Maybe we should go check on her," the princess suggested as she finally took the first few steps towards the lab but stopped as Tenchi gently grabbed her arm.
"I'll do it. I want to apologize anyway, so why don't you go sit in the living room with Sasami. She's napping on the couch," Tenchi said as he pointed towards the brightly lit room behind them. Ayeka nodded before taking his advise and going to keep an eye on her sister while he went and checked on the redhead. Tenchi found that he was walking agonizingly slow but ignored the fact and finally reached the lab door with an odd feeling that something wasn't quite right. He's been having these feelings a lot lately, but this time it seemed stronger than before. He rested a hand on the door and hesitated for only a moment before walking into the lab with a confident outlook on the situation. The lab was dark and shadows hung like tapestries around the room, making it nearly impossible to see without the light from the open doorway.
"Washu?" he called as he entered only a few feet into the dark room. He heard something moving around in the shadows to his right and squinted his eyes to see a shadow of something moving around, yet he couldn't make out what it was.
"Washu? Is that you?" he asked as he took a few steps towards the shuffling that had drawn his attention. He heard a growl coming from the shadows and swiftly retreated the few steps he had taken and looked towards the door with a cramp of fear in his gut. He wasn't far from the doorway and he wasted no time in heading for the light that was beaming into the room and found himself almost running as the feeling of being chased crept up on him. He could hear a faint yet swift clicking behind him as he reached the door and spun around to see something big and white flash by him and into the house. He let out a shout while running into the living room and saw Ayeka staring in his direction with a terrified look on her face.
"Ayeka! What was that?" he asked in an almost hysterical voice, seeing the feeling of being chased was still lingering with him.
"I…I don't know," she stuttered as she looked towards the kitchen while pointing a finger, indicating that's the way the thing went. Both he and Ayeka nearly jumped out of their skin as they heard the shattering of glass accompanied by a shriek of something that sounded nothing like any animal they had ever heard and Tenchi forced himself to run into the kitchen, despite his fears. He found the window above the sink completely shattered and his eye caught a glimpse of something on the roof of the gardening shed after reaching the broken window. He blinked a few times as he watched it leap into the trees and out of sight before he could even begin to guess what it was.
"Tenchi?" Ayeka asked as she stood in the doorway to the kitchen with the fearful look still on her face.
"Ayeka, what did you see come out of the lab?" he asked as he turned to face her with a similar look.
"I don't know. It happened so face that I didn't get a good look at it, but I know it wasn't human," the princess said in a small voice that showed the fear she felt. Tenchi thought for a moment before heading back to the lab and found Sasami standing in the doorway while peering into the dark room with a curious look.
"Sasami, what is it?" he asked.
"Washu's gone," she said in a soft voice.
"Gone? Gone as in not in the lab, or gone as in…gone?" Tenchi asked as he swallowed back the fear that was returning.
"She's not in the lab. I don't know where she is, but I know she's not in there," the little girl said as she looked back up at him with a worried look on her face. Tenchi looked over at Ayeka and found he was unable to find any words of comfort for the little girl, seeing he himself was clueless as to what had just happened or what that was that had brushed past him.
***
Where are we going?
"I have no idea. I know as much as you do, if not less," Ryoko muttered as she leaned against a large tree. The memory effects of the 'I spy' incident were wearing off and she found that it was much easier now that she could actually talk to this creature and get an answers she understood.
You know, you're nothing like what my father told me the pup whined.
"Sorry to disappoint you," Ryoko mumbled.
What happened after you were captured? The woman with blue hair told me that you were a puppet for the man who took you
"I was but you don't need to hear the specifics of what I've done in my life."
That bad, huh?
"Yes, that bad."
You know, that may be the answer to your questions the pup chimed after a moment of silence.
"And what question would that be?"
Like who you are the pup said while lagging behind as Ryoko slowed her walk to a complete stop.
"Who I am? I know who I am."
Ryoko the Space Pirate, right? the pup mocked.
"And don't forget it," Ryoko agreed, ignoring the pup's sarcastic tone.
That's who you were when you were under control. Who are you now? the pup asked, the cryptic tone returning to it's voice. Ryoko opened her mouth to answer this seemingly stupid question, but was stunned to find that she had no answer to that question. The pup was right. She had been referred to as a pirate when with Kagato, but ever since she was released from the cave, her name had been cleared. She couldn't go by that title without someone trying to turn her in. Yet…she doesn't know what to think of herself as. She wasn't a full-blown human, nor is she the creation she had once thought herself to be.
***
The sun fell through the leaves and dappled the gray fur on Putiko's back as he lay under the tree in the garden. He had relentlessly searched for his daughter, but he found her nowhere and no one had seen her. Tashacca wasn't even speaking to him because of his carelessness and he let out a long, heavy sigh as he saw his predicament.
…You're worried about her, aren't you…? someone ushered. Putiko snapped his head up and jumped to his feet to find a semi-transparent woman hovering above the ground behind him. He stared at her for a moment before growling low in his throat and taking a defensive stance.
Who are you? he sneered.
…No one you should fear. I know where your daughter is…
Where is she! Tell me! Putiko snarled.
…You won't get anywhere with an attitude like that, Putiko. I will have you know that your daughter is safe and helping a very close friend of yours…
Friend?
…Does the name Ryoko ring a bell…?
Ryoko? Putiko whined as his face fell. He hadn't heard anyone even remotely speak of the cyan-haired girl he remembered, let alone tell him that his daughter was helping her.
…Yes. I will bring your daughter back when she's finished, but you have something you need to do for me before that happens...
Like what? Putiko growled cautiously.
…I need you to help yet another friend of yours…
***
…Run. Run where? Run from what…?
I don't know. Just run.
…I can't run forever. Besides, I don't even know why I'm running…
Because you're scared
…Scared, yes, but running won't help me get away from this…
It's instinct. You run when you're scared
…Than where's my instinct that tells me this is pointless…?
Washu skidded to a halt and spun in a few panicky circles in the sunny groove she found herself in as that last thought contaminated her mind.
There is it she sang as she stopped her panicking to stare at her surroundings with wide eyes.
Good job. Got yourself lost.
…I'm not lost…
Are you sure about that?
Pause.
…Well…at least it's not dark out…
How long will that last, though? Long enough for you to get home?
…Of course…
I don't think so. Look how low the sun is.
…Doesn't matter. I know where I am…
No you don't
…Yes, I do…
I'm telling you. You don't.
…I do… Washu argued as she took another good look around her.
Nope. Still lost.
Washu took a slow, deep breath and closed her eyes before relaxing her still tense muscles and shook her head as she found she was arguing with herself. She doesn't remember how long she had been running and her spinning had thrown off her judgment of which direction she had come from. She had woken up from her dream to find herself half-transformed into…this and she opened her eyes to look at her hands…or paws, to be more accurate. Her hair had grown thick and her skin was covered with long, soft, fluffy white fur that was slashed with fire red tiger stripes. She now had a tail that sprang almost five and a half feet out behind her with long, extremely fine fur and her overall coat resembled that of a golden retriever's.
You look like a female Putiko, other than the colors
…I know it… she thought to herself as she tilted her head. She was slightly surprised to find that she actually enjoyed the run she had just made, even if she didn't know where she was. Her muscles had started tightening with slight cramps from being in the lab all day, seeing she could no longer open doors on her own. Tenchi had come in and the second thing she feared was the others seeing her like this. The first thing she feared was this form all together. She was human, not Clav. Yet…that dream had explained perfectly why this happened.
Of course it explained this. Tsunami had helped you remember. Washu wrinkled her now bushy red brow and hung her head as she felt another argument with herself in the making, yet managed to remember her first priority. Finding out which way home was.
Which way did I come from? she asked herself as she looked around her for a third time.
That way her conscience told her as she stared towards what appeared to be the mouth of a valley that was precariously placed between two rolling hills.
…Wow…
Ran farther than you thought
…You can say that again… Washu thought before letting out a heavy sigh as she started her journey back to the house. What was she going to tell them? She could barely accept this herself, let alone try to explain why it had happened to someone who wouldn't understand her words.
Than why are you headed back home?
…Because I have nowhere else to go…
Look around you. I don't think anyone's around to make you leave..
…But it's home, hence why I call it 'home'…
What do you think they'll say?
…I don't know…
They'll most likely be scared of you. They were when you ran out of the lab.
…But they didn't know it was me…
Doesn't matter. Look at you.
…So. They'll see it's still me…
They may know it's still you, but who's to say they wouldn't think you've grown a 'wild animal' attitude?
…Because I've told them about this race…
Knowing about a race like this and actually seeing a race like this will receive two totally different reactions.
Good point Washu muttered to herself. She continued on her way with a million thoughts running through her head but stopped as something tickled her senses. She snapped her head up and swiftly glanced around her before tilting her head curiously. There was something close by.
Not something, Washu. Someone.
Washu felt the fur on her back prickle and shuddered as the sensation caused her heart and mind to run circles around her senses. She then caught a glimpse of something light resting in the shade of a tree about thirty feet away. She felt her muscles tense with slight panic and stared for a long time before leaping into the trees to hold a safer position as well as a bird's-eye-view of the object of her attention.
Just go down there
…Yeah right…
Why not? It's not like they can hurt you. Washu considered this and curtly tilted her head in agreement before making her way over to the light splash of color in the midst of shadows.
What? she growled to herself as she saw who it was and founding herself on the ground at a distance of only ten or so feet. His skin was fair and young, about late twenties, early thirties, and his blue hair covered his shoulders in wavy, pastel locks. His build was strong and she could see that his body fat was to a minimum, even though his clothes were loose. She felt her heart jump into her throat as the man let out a groan and held her breath as he opened his eyes. She hesitated for a moment before letting her breath out in a single word.
Putiko?
Are people still reading, or was my break too long? Oh well. Read and review.